That Girl Who's Unlike Any Other
by Fangirlofrandomness
Summary: It's the last night at Hogwarts EVER, and James needs to say something! Can you guess what it is? Also contains a Hindi song Woh Ladki Jo Sabse Alag Hai, or That Girl Who's Unlike Any Other, from the movie Baadshah. I translated it! Read!
1. Questions

(A/N: So I decided to put up the prequel to my first fanfic!!! There's a bit in between, but I'll put it up later, I'm in a rush now.)

James had spent so many long hours planning this very night, (hours standing and clutching Sirius's hand on bended knee) and now it was here. He had had dreams about this night, and nightmares about this night. He had waited impatiently for this night, he had dreaded this night. This was the night he was going to propose to his girlfriend, Lily Evans.

He led her up to the Astronomy Tower, as he had thought there was no more romantic spot in the school. Away from light pollution, the stars were burning brightly in the sky, and it was a breathtaking sight. At least, for Lily, it was. James was more interested at staring at the beautiful red-head sitting at his sight.

Sirius, that master of romance, had told him to wait until just the right moment. But what was the right moment? "You'll know it when it comes,", he had told James. Well, right now, Lily wasn't saying anything, just leaning against his shoulder, enjoying the crisp night. This seemed as good a time as any.

"Er…Lily?" Her questioning eyes fell on him. Instead of replying, he pulled her to her feet, getting up himself. Sighing, he mentally prepared himself. _Don't mess it up!_, he ordered himself. James pulled Lily to her feet, and then he lowered himself onto his knee, mentally wincing at the hard cold stone. He stared into her shocked, surprised, beautiful, astounding, amazing, breathtaking emerald eyes, almost forgetting what he had rehearsed with Sirius.

"Um…I – er –" This was not going well. He cleared his throat nervously, then tried again. "Lily Rose Evans, I love you. Will you – "

"Why?" Lily suddenly cut him off, blushing red, but still determinedly staring at him. The question in the green gaze confused James, addled him.

"Excuse me?" He stared back, puzzled and slightly incredulous. What a question! Who asked that sort of thing?

She took a deep breath, and evenly replied, "You heard me, James. Why do you love me?"

"What do you mean, why do I love you?" It really was a strange question. People just fell in love with each other, there was no need for explanations, surely!

James could almost see two emotions struggling on Lily's face. Slowly, as he didn't say anything else, the beautiful face sunk into misery. "There has to be a reason why you say you love me. What is it? My eyes, my face? My _brain_?"

He couldn't mistake the sarcasm and derision in her voice. He stiffly rose from his awkward position. Anger rising in him as well, he replied, keeping his voice light and a little teasing. "Well, somebody's full of herself, isn't she?"

A faint smile rose to her lips, making James's heart pound harder with hope. "Oh, face it, James. You don't really love me. You just wanted a challenge, someone to catch. And, congratulations, you got her. You've had her for about five months now. Isn't it time for you to get tired and move on?"

Now James was really angry. How was she to know what he didn't or did want? But still, something in him wondered, was that true? _No_, he empathically replied himself (wondering about his sanity at the same time) He would be miserable without Lily around, and he couldn't love anybody else. He had tried, after all, for a while, earlier that year, but he kept seeing Lily's face everywhere (he had even gone to consult a Healer about it – a waste of 30 galleons).

"How would you know, what I do or don't want? If you think I spent 4 years chasing you just to give up now, you really don't deserve the title of 'Smartest Girl in School'"

A flicker of doubt crossed Lily's face, but then it was replaced by steely determination. "I'm sorry, James, but until you can tell me what exactly you 'love' about me, I can't answer your question."

James stared at her, stunned for a moment, and slowly said, "You don't mean that."

It was definitely the wrong response. Her eyes flashed to life, but she calmly drawled, "Would you care to wager on that?"

Suddenly, a spark of hope lit up as inspiration struck him. Struggling to conceal his excitement, he glanced at her and nodded. "I would, actually. The wager being, if I can tell you exactly why I love you, you have to marry me."

Lily stared at him, thunderstruck by his proposal. "No!", she finally started to hiss, but James interrupted her.

"Okay, no, let's tweak that a bit. If I tell you why I love you, and you feel that's good enough for you, then you'll marry me."

James tried making his puppy-dog eyes, unsure whether it would work, but thinking it was worth a shot. If only she would agree to this, he might still have a chance! But Lily was still thinking, and he was starting to lose hope. Abruptly, she nodded her head. "Seriously?", he asked incredulously.

She sighed, and, rolling her eyes, said, "I must have gone insane, but yes. If and only if I feel it's a valid reason."

Slowly, a grin spread across his face. "So… we are still going out and all, right?" Feeling it sounded a little too desperate, he modified quickly, "Because we're the sensation of Hogwarts, you know, we can't deny the public."

Rolling her eyes, Lily replied, "Yes, James, I will still go out with you" Before James could feel elated, she continued, "But only because Mary and Sunehri will kill me if I don't. They're adoring worshippers of James Potter, you know."

Grinning cockily, James replied, "Who isn't?", and added, "Besides you" quickly, before she could take offense.

Business-like, Lily got to her feet and started towards the stairs. "Wait!", James called to her. "Where are you going?"

"If we are all done here, I would like to get back to the fire, it's getting chilly", Lily told him.

"Fine" James agreed, but just as Lily was turning, another question occurred to him. "Hey, Lily?" An annoyed huff answered his question; he had forgotten her hatred of the cold. Smiling slightly, he asked, "You don't believe I love you, but what about you? Do you love me?"

Without answering, Lily swept down the stairs, leaving James staring nonplussed at the spot where she had been standing.

(I shouldn't have to say this anymore, but R&R!!!)


	2. Pros and Cons

(A/N: I'm finally putting up the middle bit!! Sirius and Remus are trying to help James figure out the answer, but James is being stubbornly unimaginative. Enjoy!)

The weeks following were fraught with anxiety for both of them. Lily kept wondering about the way James had looked when she had asked why. And, although she tried her level best to stop it, that question kept popping up in her head. Did she love him?

She wasn't doing a good job of finding out. Lily-like as usual, she tried drawing up a pros and cons list. The cons seemed easy. Lily wrote down _Acts like a big, balloon-headed prat_, but as she did, that uneasy feeling that came when you told yourself lies came across her.

He _used to_ act like a prat. And, to be fair, sometimes, he still did. But everybody fell off the wagon at some point of time! For example, she knew that he hadn't stopped bullying Severus, but she had never really expected him to.

Now she looked for a pro about James. She had expected it to be hard, but it was scarily easy. _That way he always looks at me whenever I come near._

But upon writing that, she crumpled up the parchment. For the first time in her life, pros and cons were failing her. They were useless right now. They couldn't prove anything in a relationship. Feeling very useless, Lily flopped back on her bed with a frustrated sigh. She would have to decide herself.

...

James wasn't exactly having the best time ever either. He kept staring at Lily, trying to figure out what he liked so much about her. He liked her figure, he adored her hair, he loved her smile, and he worshipped her eyes, but that wouldn't count, because that was, according to Lily, loving her beauty only.

After a whole two days of James moping around, James's best friends decided to intervene. "So what is it that you love so much about her?", Remus Lupin asked James practically. Sirius was lounging in the seat beside James, pretending not to care, but all four of the boys knew he was listening just as hard as the others.

James looked at Remus like he was crazy. "You've obviously never been in love, or else you would know how futile it is to answer questions like that."

Sirius chuckled softly. "Got you cornered there, eh, Moony?"

Remus rolled his eyes. He knew he couldn't, and shouldn't, fall in love with anyone, so he had always steered clear of relationships. From anyone else, he would have colored up furiously at the remark, seething inside, but from his friends, he rather enjoyed the way they joked about his 'condition'.

"Let's take this slowly", Sirius continued. "So the fiery Miss Evans gave you some examples of what she thought you meant you loved, like her beauty, her brains, etc. So the question is, are you really in love with those, and not in love with her?"

This statement was met with incredulous stares from all three other boys, and defensively, Sirius lifted his hands. "It's just a routine sort of check, okay? I know as well as the rest of you that he's head over heels for Lily."

He straightened up slightly, and asked, in a mock deep-psychiatrist voice asked, "James Potter, would you love Lily Evans even if she was, say, bald?"

Remus actually snorted at the question, it was so ridiculous, but James simply looked confused. The ever-helpful Peter tried to explain what came next.

"You're supposed to say, yes, James, you love her even if she was as bald as a ping pong ball"

"I don't get it", replied an even more confused James. "Lily has a head full of red hair. When did she become bald? And how did I not notice?"

Sirius and Remus simultaneously rolled their eyes. "Now, the problem with you, lover-boy, is that you don't have enough imagination. None of this happened, it's all _hypothetical_" Remus witheringly informed him, while Sirius empathically nodded along.

"That hysterical Hannah Fawcett accidentally hit her with a Balding Curse." Sirius helpfully, trying to encourage James's imagination.

"Well, why didn't she duck, or block the curse? She should be an expert at all that by now." James was being adamantly stupid.

"Because she didn't have her wand with her.", Peter chimed in, futilely trying to help.

"Why didn't she have her wand with her?" Poor James was bewildered by now.

"Because you accidentally broke it."

"How?"

"You sat on it."

"Why?"

"You didn't know it was there."

"Where was it?"

"On the couch"

"Why didn't I look before I sat?"

"Er…you forgot?"

"Why didn't I just buy her another?"

"Because you didn't have the time to, because you forgot, because you didn't have enough money, why do we care?" Remus burst out, at the end of his patience. The other boys looked around, quite startled, since Remus was usually good-humored.

"Well, she's bald, whatever the reason. Do you still love her?" Sirius resumed the original question.

There was a long pause. "No…o…o", James dragged out the word, like a little boy unsure of the right answer.

A stunned silence followed. Remus frowned. Peter stared from James to Remus, fascinated, like he was watching some extremely entertaining show. Sirius raised one eyebrow, and looked at James expectantly.

"Okay…" Remus finally broke the silence. "Why wouldn't you still love her? That really does sound like you love her just for her beauty."

"It's not that I won't love her without hair!" James contradicted himself. "It's just – I can't imagine her without hair ("_There's_ a shocker, Sirius dryly remarked), and – and – Lily wouldn't be _Lily_ without her hair!" He floundered through his sentence, grasping at his meaning, but feeling it slip through the cracks. He _did_ love Lily, but it wouldn't be Lily without her hair!

Remus stared at James, clearly not understanding his meaning, but Sirius nodded, like he understood. Remus looked at him, surprised. "_You _understood him?" Even James was looking askance at Sirius, since even James himself was not totally sure of his meaning.

"Kind of", Sirius replied. He looked at Remus again. "Look, we all know what Lily's famous for, right?"

"Her grades", Remus instantly butted in.

"Her hatred of me", James tried.

"Her love of pickles", Peter contributed.

The rest of the boys looked at Peter. "That's not that famous, Peter", Remus kindly informed him at last.

"Sure it is!" Peter said. "Those little second-years made up a poem about it, remember? Weasley and Prewett? 'Eyes as green as a fresh-pickled toad'? You've never heard it?"

"That really doesn't have too much to do with pickles, you know."

"It has the word in the sentence."

Remus opened his mouth to retort, but Sirius stopped him impatiently. "Anyway, as I was going to say, Lily is famous for her red hair and her matching temper. Take away the red hair, and it's like it's not really Lily anymore."

"Ah", Remus understood at last. "All right then. On to the next question. Would you love her if she was stupid?"

"Lily and stupid?" James snorted. "Remus, have you started taking naps in class? Do you not know Lily is the smartest girl in the whole year? Did you not just say she was famed for her grades?"

"Did I not just say _if_ she was stupid?", Remus rebutted. "Use your imagination, please, I'm begging you!"

Rolling his eyes, James tried his hardest to imagine up a dumb Lily and then tried his hardest to love said dumb Lily.

He shook his head in frustration, ruffling up his hair with his hand.

"So you wouldn't love her if she were dumb." Sirius sunk down in his seat again. "Well, then, boys, do any of you know how to Confund Lily? Because I'm not sure about you, but I'm getting tired of hearing her name muttered over and over every night in James's sleep."

Peter giggled so hard at this, he fell off his seat. Remus pulled him up, but the others barely noticed; it was a common enough occurrence.

"Er – why wouldn't you?" Remus asked, even though something inside him was telling him he shouldn't; it would lead to another pointless discussion.

"It wouldn't be Lily if she wasn't smart. She'd become more like that strange Bindy Boot."

"Oh, you mean that Hufflepuff girl with the carroty hair who has that strange hyena laugh?" Sirius sat up in interest. "You know, I dated her once, back in third grade."

"Oh, yes, I remember that! You told us – you told us – told us – " Peter was cracking up from laughter, so it was never apparent what Sirius had really told them.

Remus, meanwhile, was looking as though it was April Fools', Christmas, and all four boys' birthdays all rolled up into one day. "I've got it!"

"What did you get, Moony?" Sirius asked with interest.

"Why James keeps saying no to each question. He loves her because she has red hair, and because she's smart, and because it wouldn't be Lily if she didn't have red hair and wasn't smart!"

James, who had eagerly straightened up, slouched back and put his elbows on the table. "Well, obviously. Isn't that what I just said moments ago?"

"But that's your answer!" Remus wasn't dampened a bit by his pessimistic friend. "You love her because she's different from everyone else!"

James thought it over. There really wasn't anyone else like her. She always seemed a class apart. And it sounded good, too. "The girl who's unlike any other", he said aloud, testing the words. "I love her because she's unlike any other".

(A/N: That was it! Hope you liked it. Click that button down there, and tell me if you did (or if you didn't, I don't really care which))


	3. That Girl Who's Unlike Any Other

(A/N: Another LJ fic!! Hope you like it, it contains a song as well. It's a Hindi song, called Woh Ladki Jo Sabse Alag Hai, or That Girl Who's Unlike Any Other. It's from the movie Baadshah. Enjoy!)

James nervously bounced his knee, his (slightly sweaty) hands clasped together on his lap. _Why in the world did I have to do this?_, he wondered for the thousandth time.

But he already knew the answer to that. It was the last night ever at Hogwarts, and it was the end of seven amazing years. It was a magic number, seven. Especially for James. The love of his life, Lily Evans, had finally become his girlfriend, on the seventh day of the seventh month into the Hogwarts school year. (A/N: That's the seventh of March)

And as seven amazing years ended, he had to do something to ensure the coming seven were as amazing, ifnot more than, the previous seven. With all the panic about Voldemort, this would seem to be an amazing task for most. But James knew exactly what he had to do: get Lily Evans. Hell could become heaven when he had Lily around.

So that's why he was nervously waiting for Dumbledore to finish, so he could go up on that stage, in front of everybody, and ask Lily to marry him.

He didn't exactly want to do that, but he knew how much Lily loved romantic things like that. She was usually very practical, but simple little things like that would make her unbelievably ecstatic. Plus, everyone knew a girl couldn't refuse a proposal if it was given in front of a whole crowd. And last, and very least (of course), was the fact that Sirius Black, his best friend in the whole world, had dared him to.

"…And now, our Head Boy, James Potter would like to come up onstage to say a few words." Dumbledore took a seat, and alertly looked at James. Hands pushed him up and moving, and as James scowled backwards, he caught a glimpse of Sirius's mischievous grin.

James had never really had stage fright, but right now, he could definitely sympathize with those who had. Everybody was looking at him, and normally, that was excellent. But he prayed that he didn't make a fool of himself. Focusing on a certain redhead at the Gryffindor table, he smiled once, and took a deep breath. It was time. He cleared his throat noisily once, and then, muttering "Sonorus", he began.

"These past few years at Hogwarts…have been the best time of my life – ever. Not because of – I mean – not only just because of all the stuff I've learned in class, but because of the amazing people I've met. Just look at Minnie, for example!" He swept his arm in Professor McGonagall's direction, and watched as her face grew a beautiful eggplant color.

"Can anybody imagine Hogwarts without her? And of course, my best friends. Sirius, Remus, Peter. The best friends ever, and definitely the most loyal! And, of course, the best pranksters Hogwarts has ever had! I can't think of any men better to spend my time with."

James could see Sirius's puzzled face, and Lily's slightly hurt expression too. Chuckling slightly, he continued. "But there is the one girl I think was the absolute best thing that happened to me at Hogwarts! Who is it, do you know?"

And as one, the school cheered, "Lily, Lily!" Staring at her, James could see how beautiful she looked, with her cheeks flushed, trying to glare daggers at James, but he could see the pleasure beneath it.

"Lily Evans. For those of you who don't know, (in which case, where have you been these past years?) I have been chasing Lily since – when?" He directed the question at Lily, but it was Sirius who answered.

"Since third year, mate, we've been hearing you talk about her in your sleep every night since then!"

It was his turn to turn as red as Lily's hair, as the whole school laughed at the amusing titbit of news.

"Yes, well – since third year. But strangely, very strangely, I hadn't been able to get her to go out with me until this year! Yes, I know you're surprised, so was I when she said yes!"

Lily looked directly up at him, and in a clear carrying voice, said "He fainted when I said yes!"

The whole school gasped in shock, and he hurried to cover up. "That was because I hadn't eaten any lunch or dinner that day! I'm a growing boy! Well, anyway,", he hastily moved on, seeing Lily open her mouth. "She asked me this question once. Why do I love her, when there are so many other more beautiful girls in Hogwarts? And I couldn't really explain why. I just did. And it wasn't until yesterday I finally realized how to say it."

Here came the embarrassing part. Closing his eyes, he started singing, soft at first, but growing louder with every word. Music swelled magically from every corner, harmoniously melding with his voice, which (he thought) didn't sound half bad.

_Tresses everywhere  
__And colorful attires  
__Pink lips they flaunt  
__And an intoxicating gait_

_Their eyes cast a spell  
__Their bodies exude a fragrance  
__They have such warm stares  
__And so soft arms_

Lily was definitely not expecting him to be praising other girls. As his confidence grew, and his eyes opened, he saw her green irises almost crackling with anger, glaring at him. He was so thankful the chorus was here!

_At every step, there are a million beauties to see  
__I, however will only give my heart to the girl who's made just for me._

_The girl who's unlike any other  
__The girl who's unlike any other  
__The girl who's unlike any other  
__The girl who's unlike any other_

_There,_ James thought in satisfaction. _That should stop her_. And stop her it did. She was staring open-mouthed at him, as though she'd never seen him before. Seeing his glance, she quickly shut her mouth and rolled her eyes, smiling, making James want to laugh along with her. But he finished the song first.

_At every step, there are a million beauties to see  
__I, however will only give my heart to the girl who's made just for me.  
__The girl who's unlike any other  
__The girl who's unlike any other  
_

_So many beauties  
__Whose eyes give a glimpse of moonlight  
__So many things they say  
__That are lilting to the ear_

_If this girl sways her hips  
__My girl's gait speaks for her arrogance.  
__If this girl is shy,  
__My girl is just too much of a snob_

_At every step, there are a million beauties to see  
__I, however will only give my heart to the girl who's made just for me._

_The girl who's unlike any other  
__The girl who's unlike any other  
__She's a blossom  
__Far removed from other flowers_

_What beauty have my eyes found in her?  
__She's so refreshing  
__Yet so simple  
__She's so appealing  
__She's a darling_

_At every step, there are a million beauties to see  
__I, however will only give my heart to the girl who's made just for me._

_The girl who's unlike any other  
__The girl who's unlike any other  
__The girl who's unlike any other  
__The girl who's unlike any other_

The music started to fade, and anxiously, James looked at Sirius. Immediately, his two best friends got up, and tugged Lily to her feet. He wondered vaguely why she didn't resist, and, heart in throat, kept expecting her to. But before he knew it, she was standing before him on the stage, staring wide-eyed at him with her beautiful emerald eyes.

_Please don't let me mess up_, he thought, as he met her eyes, and slowly, never breaking eye contact with her, lowered himself onto one knee. Her pupils grew wider, and her lips were parting in surprise, but before she could say a word, he began speaking.

"Lily Rose Evans, I love you. I have loved you for years, and will love you for years to come. And I love you because you're different from all other girls, in every way you can think of. Lily Evans, will you marry me?"

There. He had said everything. He hadn't faltered, he hadn't stumbled, it had gone exactly the way he had practiced (even though it was much harder when it was actually Lily, in front of the whole school, as opposed to Peter in a dress in front of a popcorn-munching Sirius and Remus) Now there was only one thing left…she had to say yes.

For a long time, she didn't say anything. The seconds seemed to grow longer, as a whole hush enveloped the crowd. Then, a clear high voice broke through the silence. "Say 'yes', come on, Lily, you idiot!"

It was Lily's friend, Mary Macdonald. There was a slight pause after her words, and then, as one, the whole Great Hall erupted into chuckles, even Lily and James. But even as they died, Lily wasn't saying anything. Desperately, he said, "Come on, Lily, say something, at least, my knees are beginning to hurt!"

Then, with tension-building slowness, she seemed to be drawing closer to him, pulling him up to his feet, and slowly, kissing his lips, her arms twining around his neck just as his wrapped around her waist. They kept kissing for a long time, glued to each other, moving less than statues.

Sirius and Remus exchanged glances, before Remus checked his watch. "Well,", Sirius whispered to Remus, "even if she says no, he'll still have the memory of being planted to Evans for about an hour."

Just then, the couple broke apart, and cast an annoyed glare in Sirius's direction. That was when they noticed most of the occupants of the Great Hall had decided to take a nap. Professor Sinistra was quietly dozing on Professor Slughorn's shoulder, and even Dumbledore's eyes seemed half-closed behind his glasses.

"As a matter of fact," Lily stated loudly, glaring at Sirius and waking most of the dozing people, "I say yes, just so he won't have to live with such depressing memories."

The audience (those that were awake) erupted into a cheer, waking those that still slept. Sirius, Remus and Peter started trying to do the wave on the Gryffindor table, (which was always stopping when it reached the still-sleeping Frank Longbottom), the Slytherins were pretending to retch (or in Snape's case, actually throwing up into his goblet), but James and Lily barely noticed. They were too busy kissing – again.

(A/N: I was in a really silly mood at the end. There's a prequel to this, and if you guys ask for it, I might even put that up. It's basically why Lily asked James why he loved her. And the reason the song's so choppy and doesn't really go like a song, is because it's actually a Hindi song, and I translated it. R&R, everybody! Oh, and if anybody wants to see the video, the link to YouTube is on my profile, and hopefully, it works!)


End file.
